From Europe
From the United Kingdom
Europe's largest group of US home buyers. E-2 visas for UK residents only, sterling risk, an estate and gift tax treaty, and HMRC's rules on your UK home and worldwide estate.
Read the UK guideBuying a US home from the UK or the EU
The US side of a purchase is the same for everyone. What differs is what your own country has agreed with the United States, and what your own tax office does when you leave or buy abroad.
Your passport changes more than you would expect
Three EU countries have no E-2 investor visa route at all, and British nationals qualify only if they live in the UK. Three countries are outside the Visa Waiver Program. Only the UK and nine EU countries have an estate tax treaty with the United States. None of this decides whether you can buy, but each point changes how you should plan. We work with buyers from the UK and every EU member state, in English.
Country guides
Each guide covers the US visa routes open to your nationality, what a US lender can and cannot see of your finances at home, and the home-country tax rules that follow you.
From Europe
From the Netherlands
E-1 and E-2 since 1957, a US estate tax treaty, and the Dutch rules on mortgage interest, box 3 and protective assessments when you emigrate.
Read the Dutch guide
From Europe
From Germany
The largest EU-born community in the US, E-1 and E-2 since 1956, an estate and gift tax treaty, and the German rules on selling your home and leaving with shares.
Read the German guide
From Europe
From France
E-1 and E-2 since 1960, an estate and gift tax treaty, the French exit tax and the deadline for selling your former main home tax free.
Read the French guide
From Europe
From Ireland
E-1 since 1950 and E-2 since 1992, a US estate tax treaty, Irish tax on US rental income and PPR relief when you sell at home.
Read the Irish guide
From Europe
From Italy
E-1 and E-2 since 1949, a US estate tax treaty, the IVIE tax on property abroad and what happens to mortgage interest relief when you move.
Read the Italian guide
From Europe
From Spain
E-1 and E-2 since 1903, no estate tax treaty, Modelo 720 for a US home and the rules on selling your main home in Spain.
Read the Spanish guide
From Europe
From Belgium
E-1 and E-2 since 1963, no estate tax treaty, a free credit register extract and the Belgian duty to declare a home abroad.
Read the Belgian guide
From Europe
From Poland
Visa-free travel since 2019, E-1 and E-2 since 1994, zloty to dollar exchange risk and the Polish five-year rule on selling property.
Read the Polish guide
From Europe
From Sweden
E-1 and E-2 since 1992, krona to dollar exchange risk, and the deferred home-sale gain that becomes payable when you leave the EEA.
Read the Swedish guide
From Europe
From Portugal
E-1 and E-2 visas open to Portuguese nationals only since 15 March 2024, no estate tax treaty, and Anexo J for a home in the United States.
Read the Portuguese guideThe UK and all 27 EU countries compared
Checked on 3 October 2026 against the US State Department, Homeland Security, IRS and Social Security Administration lists linked below the table.
| Country | Visa-free visits (ESTA) | E-2 investor visa | Income tax treaty | Estate tax treaty | Social security agreement | Currency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Yes | Yes, for UK residents | Yes | Yes, estate and gift | Yes | Pound sterling |
| Austria | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, estate and gift | Yes | Euro |
| Belgium | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Euro |
| Bulgaria | No, visa needed | Yes (no E-1) | Yes | No | No | Euro since 2026 |
| Croatia | Yes | Yes | Signed, not yet in force | No | No | Euro |
| Cyprus | No, visa needed | No | Yes | No | No | Euro |
| Czechia | Yes | Yes (no E-1) | Yes | No | Yes | Czech koruna |
| Denmark | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, estate and gift | Yes | Danish krone |
| Estonia | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Euro |
| Finland | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, estate | Yes | Euro |
| France | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, estate and gift | Yes | Euro |
| Germany | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, estate and gift | Yes | Euro |
| Greece | Yes | No (E-1 only) | Yes | Yes, estate | Yes | Euro |
| Hungary | Yes | No | No, terminated (no effect from 2024) | No | Yes | Hungarian forint |
| Ireland | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, estate | Yes | Euro |
| Italy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, estate | Yes | Euro |
| Latvia | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Euro |
| Lithuania | Yes | Yes (no E-1) | Yes | No | No | Euro |
| Luxembourg | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Euro |
| Malta | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Euro |
| Netherlands | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, estate | Yes | Euro |
| Poland | Yes, since 2019 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Polish zloty |
| Portugal | Yes | Yes, since March 2024 | Yes | No | Yes | Euro |
| Romania | No, visa needed | Yes (no E-1) | Yes | No | Yes, since September 2026 | Romanian leu |
| Slovakia | Yes | Yes (no E-1) | Yes | No | Yes | Euro |
| Slovenia | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Euro |
| Spain | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Euro |
| Sweden | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Swedish krona |
Sources: US Department of State, 9 FAM 402.9-10 (treaty visas, revision of 17 February 2026); US Department of Homeland Security, Visa Waiver Program; IRS, income tax treaties A to Z and estate and gift tax treaties; US Social Security Administration, international agreements; European Central Bank, use of the euro. Visa and treaty lists change, so confirm your own country's status before you rely on it.
How to read the table
Visa-free visits. The Visa Waiver Program lets you travel to the United States on an ESTA to view homes. It gives no right to live or work there. Citizens of Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania need a visitor visa even for a viewing trip.
E-2 investor visa. Available only to nationals of countries with the relevant treaty. Cyprus, Hungary and Malta are not on the State Department's list, and Greece has the E-1 trader category only. The UK treaty covers only British nationals who live in and are domiciled in the UK. The E-2 is for an operating business. Buying a home never qualifies, in any country.
Income tax treaty. A treaty decides which country taxes what and how double taxation is removed. Hungary's treaty was terminated by the United States and stopped having effect in 2024. Croatia's was signed in 2022 and is still waiting for ratification.
Estate tax treaty. The United States requires an estate tax return from people who are neither citizens nor residents once their US assets, including a house, exceed $60,000. The UK and nine EU countries have a treaty that can change the outcome. For the other eighteen, how you hold the property matters more.
Social security agreement. If you work in both countries during your career, an agreement prevents paying contributions twice and lets periods count together.
Currency. If your savings are not in euros, your exchange-rate risk against the dollar is your own currency's, not the euro's.
Your country has no guide yet? The US side works the same for you. Start with how visa status decides your loan, or ask us directly through the mortgage scan.
US mortgage scan
Reading is a good start. A personal review turns it into figures you can search against.
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